Former Ivy League admissions officers. Harvard PhDs. Nationally recognized counselors. Our team is made up of some of the most trusted and experienced professionals in college admissions — each one deeply committed to helping your student stand out and succeed.
With decades of experience inside the most selective institutions in the world — including Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, and Duke — our counselors bring unmatched expertise and empathy to every advising relationship.
Whether your student is applying to the Ivy League, top STEM programs, liberal arts colleges, or competitive state schools, they’ll be guided by someone who knows exactly how admissions decisions are made — because they’ve made them.
We don’t just polish essays. We challenge students to think deeply, lead boldly, and tell their stories with clarity and confidence. The result? Applications that feel strategic, personal, and impossible to ignore.
Director of College Counseling
Interim Director of College Counseling
Senior Counselor
Counseling Lead (CL)
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College Counselor
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College Counselor
Financial Aid Expert
Senior Counselor
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Senior Counselor
College Counselor
Art Portfolio Reviewer
College Counselor
Director of College Counseling | Former Associate Director of Admission, Colorado College | Application Reader, Johns Hopkins SAIS
At Colorado College, Megan served as Associate Director of Admission, leading strategy and reviewing thousands of high-stakes applications. She was also selected by Johns Hopkins University to read for their globally renowned School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Megan has helped students from around the world gain admission to top U.S. and U.K. universities such as
Megan has completed 13 marathons, including Boston and Beijing, and was the first American to finish the Great Wall of China Half Marathon.
Interim Director of College Counseling | Former Senior Admissions Officer, Duke University | MBA, Rice University
Sonam’s admissions journey began at Duke University, where she worked in the undergraduate admissions office as a Senior AO. Since leaving the admissions office, she continues to read hundreds of applications annually and she guides ambitious students toward acceptances at the Ivy+ institutions and T30. She has spent her entire career dedicated to serving students, and enjoys advising them through a critical juncture of their lives. Having also spent time in high schools and community-based organizations (CBOs), she has the unique pleasure in this field of a deep understanding of the process from all four sides of the desk.
Sonam earned her BA in Sociology from Duke University, and completed her MBA from Rice University on a full-ride as a prestigious Consortium and Forté Fellow. For her MBA internship, she interned with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Seattle. Additionally, she was the Pratt School of Engineering liaison for Duke’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Both experiences make her especially skilled with advising prospective business and STEM applicants.
Sonam was born and raised in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, which is home to the very best beaches in the world. She loves to cook in her free time. When she’s not talking about college admissions, she’s probably watching a sitcom.
Devery brings unmatched admissions expertise to the table. As a former Senior Admissions Officer at Harvard and application reader for UC Berkeley, she has evaluated thousands of applications and helped students gain admission to the most selective colleges in the country.
Devery earned her BA in Romance Languages and Social Anthropology from Harvard, and later completed her MBA at UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business on a prestigious Consortium Fellowship. She’s also served as a counselor at one of the nation’s top independent high schools, and has supported students through organizations like College Track, SEO Scholars, and IDEA Public Schools.
Devery lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her partner and two dogs. A South Texas native and proud Latina, she’s constantly on the hunt for the best tacos in Northern California (and has strong opinions).
Counseling Lead (CL) | Former Admissions Officer, Stanford University | Former College Counselor, The Dalton School | B.A., Vassar | MEd, Harvard
Shane brings deep experience from both sides of the admissions process: as a Stanford admissions officer and as a college counselor at the Dalton School, one of the most prestigious independent schools in the country. Across nearly a decade in the field, Shane has helped students earn offers from Stanford, Harvard, Penn, Pomona, USC, and more.
At Stanford, Shane evaluated thousands of applications and led the QuestBridge Match process, while also serving as a key liaison between admissions and campus cultural centers. He conducted specialized reviews for transfers, athletes, and students with complex or sensitive personal contexts, giving him a rare skillset in framing non-traditional narratives with impact.
On the counseling side, Shane spent four years as Associate Director of College Counseling at the Dalton School in NYC, where he guided high-achieving students through hyper-competitive admissions with empathy, insight, and accountability.
Credentials & Highlights:
In college, Shane was in an all-male a cappella group, and once sang a solo for Meryl Streep!
Senior Counselor | Former Assistant Director, Yale University | Former Admissions Officer, Columbia University | B.A., Yale | M.S.W., Columbia
Chris brings nearly a decade of experience working on the most selective side of college admissions. His admissions career includes senior leadership roles at Yale University, where he served as Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, and at Columbia University, where he worked as an Admissions Officer. Across these two roles, Chris reviewed thousands of applications and served on multiple admissions committees, gaining deep, firsthand insight into how decisions are made at the highest level.
Since leaving the country’s most selective admissions offices, Chris has spent eight years advising students one-on-one, continuing to read hundreds of applications annually. He guides students toward Ivy+ outcomes, including highly specialized programs such as the M&T Program at UPenn, by helping them clarify their academic direction, articulate their personal narrative, and present a cohesive, compelling application.
Chris earned his B.A. from Yale University and completed his M.S.W. in Clinical Psychotherapy at Columbia University. This dual background allows him to blend strategic admissions expertise with a nuanced understanding of identity, motivation, and storytelling. At both Yale and Columbia, Chris served on STEM recruiting committees and transfer admissions committees, and he brings particular strength in advising students in the arts, STEM fields, and interdisciplinary pathways, including programs such as the Columbia-Juilliard Exchange.
Chris is an amateur stone sculptor and a devoted dog dad to Penny, a seven-pound dachshund who takes her supervisory duties very seriously.
Senior Counselor | Former Admissions Reader, Ohio State University and Duke Fuqua MBA
Markita brings a rare combination of admissions insight, strategic communications expertise, and deep student support experience. She’s helped students gain admission to Columbia, Duke, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Howard, and Ohio State, among others, with a proven track record of helping first-generation and underrepresented students break through.
Markita has reviewed applications at both The Ohio State University and Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, giving her unique perspective across educational pathways. She also held student success leadership roles at Carnegie Mellon and NC State, where she supported high-achieving students from limited-resource backgrounds.
Markita plays piano (eight years and counting!), loves live music, and is always on the hunt for new food spots in town.
College Counselor | Former Undergraduate Admissions, Cornell University | Former Undergraduate Admissions, Seattle University
Nicole is a higher education professional who cares deeply about how students experience the path to college — not just where they end up. With a strong background in admissions advising, student mentorship, and institutional communications, she brings together policy literacy, storytelling, and student-centered support to help students navigate complex systems with clarity and confidence. Through her work supporting outreach initiatives, developing student-facing materials, and collaborating closely with institutional leadership, Nicole has seen firsthand how colleges evaluate students — and how narrative, context, and alignment can shape admissions decisions.
Nicole’s approach to admissions work is rooted in authenticity and empowerment. She helps students tell stories that go beyond metrics, connecting academic interests, personal background, and long-term goals into applications that feel both honest and intentional.
Nicole is an avid traveler who believes some of the best education happens outside the classroom — she’s happiest exploring new cities, cultures, and conversations.
Senior Counselor | Harvard College & UCL
George is a dedicated strategist, mentor, and storyteller who’s spent the last decade guiding students from six continents into the most selective U.S. and U.K. universities. From Harvard and Stanford to Oxford, Cambridge, and LSE, George helps students develop an authentic path, and articulate it with power, clarity, and joy.
George holds a Sociology degree from Harvard (Class of 2017, Likely Letter recipient) and an MSc in Public Policy from University College London (UCL), where he graduated on the Dean’s List. He’s worked exclusively as an admissions counselor since graduation, advising students ages 11-18 on both strategy and self-discovery. His signature strength: helping students identify what truly drives them, and then crafting compelling narratives and projects that stand out globally.
George lives between New York, London, and Amsterdam, where he also works as a visual storyteller. A lifelong learner, his next creative venture is learning how to design and make his own clothes.
Senior Counselor | Former Wharton AO | B.M. NYU | M.S. Ed & Ed.D UPenn
Dr. Viv brings more than a decade of experience guiding high-achieving students into the nation’s most selective colleges and universities. She has worked with hundreds of applicants, supporting successful admissions to Ivy League institutions, top liberal arts colleges, and highly competitive interdisciplinary and pre-professional programs.
Dr. Viv offers a rare dual perspective on the admissions process. As a former admissions officer for Wharton, she has evaluated applications inside one of the most competitive undergraduate business programs in the world. She now applies that insider knowledge to help students present themselves with clarity, rigor, and intellectual coherence, without relying on formulaic or performative strategies.
Dr. Viv dances every day, and accordingly, believes the strongest applicants are those who build momentum through curiosity, discipline, and joy.
Senior Counselor | Former Admissions Reader, Princeton University
Kirsten’s admissions journey began at Princeton University, where she evaluated applications from across the globe with a focus on New York City. Over the past seven years, she has reviewed thousands of applications and guided ambitious students toward acceptances at the Ivy League, Ivy+, and other top 30 institutions. Her career spans sectors as diverse as Wall Street, humanitarian nonprofits, journalism, and higher education, giving her a uniquely well-rounded perspective on storytelling, achievement, and authenticity in college admissions.
With professional roots in communications and branding, Kirsten brings a storyteller’s instinct to every advising relationship. She helps students capture the essence of who they are, and what they’ve accomplished, in a narrative that is both compelling and instantly understood by admissions officers. Her mantra: lean into the truth, and be excellent at what makes you you.
Kirsten once navigated all of Eastern Europe in the late 1990s using her high school and college German, proving that in an emergency, the brain remembers what really matters.
Senior Counselor | Former Admission Coordinator, Harvard University | B.A., Harvard
A Harvard graduate and former Harvard Admission Coordinator, Benito has spent two decades helping students gain admission to the world’s most selective institutions, including Ivy League schools, top STEM programs, and selective liberal arts colleges.
Benito’s background spans both top-tier admissions and high-performance roles at Google across Sales, HR, and engEDU. His international advising experience includes students from the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Latin America, each with their own unique aspirations, strengths, and challenges.
Benito has traveled to 45 countries and lived on five continents, including Seoul, Cape Town, Oahu, and Buenos Aires. Fluent in Spanish and conversational in Korean and Japanese, he believes great storytelling is shaped by how we experience the world, a philosophy that infuses every aspect of his advising.
Senior Counselor | Ph.D., Harvard University | B.S., Cornell University
Dr. Sergey’s students have been accepted to Stanford, Princeton, Brown, Cornell, NYU, UC Berkeley, UChicago, and more, with applications that reflect both intellectual depth and personal authenticity.
Dr. Sergey earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Harvard, where he also completed a secondary field in Film & Media Studies. During his time there, he served as Head Teaching Fellow and faculty across multiple departments, earning multiple awards for excellence in teaching and advising.
Dr. Sergey is an avid cinephile who tracks down rare 35mm screenings, explores New York’s contemporary art scene, and enjoys multilingual conversations that connect people and cultures.
Senior Counselor | Former Assistant Director of Admission, Harvey Mudd College
Misa has supported thousands of students through the college admissions process, with successful admits to Stanford, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, and more. She offers a welcomed dual perspective, having evaluated applications on the admissions side for top SLACs and coached students on the counseling side across elite schools and programs.
Formerly Assistant Director of Admission at Harvey Mudd College, one of the top STEM institutions in the U.S., Misa is especially skilled at helping STEM-driven students position themselves as multidimensional candidates with both technical rigor and human depth.
Misa is an avid traveler always on the hunt for great food, tranquil waters, and world-class duty-free shopping.
Senior Counselor | Ed.D., UCLA | M.A.T., Brown University
Peggy brings unmatched experience as a middle school head, college counselor, and director of studies at top California independent schools. She’s served on middle and high school admissions committees and conducted alumni interviews at the college level, offering students and families rare insight into the full admissions pipeline.
Peggy holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from UCLA and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Brown University. Her career spans decades of working directly with students, parents, teachers, administrators, and boards, giving her an intuitive sense of how to build strategy, trust, and alignment throughout the admissions process.
Peggy’s children had her as their middle school principal — and somehow, they all still talk! She lives with her husband, a lifelong boarding school teacher, on a high school campus where home and school blend seamlessly.
College Counselor | Duke University, Class of 2024 | Columbia Business School Deferred Admit
Though officially starting his counseling career in 2024, Jason has already helped over 15 students earn admission to Stanford, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Georgia Tech, Michigan, UC Berkeley, and UCLA, building on years of informal advising that led to early admits at Harvard, UPenn, and Brown.
A 2024 graduate of Duke University in Computer Science and Statistics, Jason was also admitted to Columbia Business School through their competitive deferred MBA cohort. He previously worked as a software engineer at Amazon and AWS, and now blends that analytical rigor with a human-centered approach to admissions coaching.
Jason has traveled to six of the seven continents, with Antarctica next on his list.
Financial Aid Expert | 20+ Years in Private Education | Specialist in FAFSA, CSS Profile, and Aid Strategy
Melissa brings more than 20 years of experience in financial aid advising within the private education sector. Known for her calm clarity and strategic insight, she has guided countless students and families through the complexities of the financial aid process. With a background in psychology and deep expertise in Title IV funding, compliance, and student support, Melissa is a bridge between institutional policy and real-world family needs.
Melissa takes a holistic and empowering approach to financial aid counseling. She works closely with families to demystify FAFSA and CSS Profile submissions, evaluate need- and merit-based opportunities, and develop customized financial strategies that align with students’ academic ambitions. Her goal: to ensure every student can pursue higher education with confidence and a plan that supports both access and sustainability.
Melissa combines a love of adventure, live sports, and all things Disney — always ready to find joy in both the magical and the unexpected.
Senior Counselor | University Counselor, Lycée International | Brown & Columbia Alumna
Catherine brings over a decade of university counseling experience from the American Section of the Lycée International, France’s oldest and most prestigious public school, founded by Eisenhower in 1952. Since 2011, she has helped students gain admission to top universities across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and continental Europe. With degrees from Brown University and Columbia University, she combines Ivy League insight with an internationalist’s perspective on postsecondary planning.
Whether guiding students toward Stanford, Sciences Po, or a small liberal arts college in Canada, Catherine is deeply committed to helping each student define what they want from their university experience. Her advising style is both grounded and aspirational: she pushes students to explore tailored programs aligned with their goals while ensuring they see higher education as the beginning of their journey, not the end.
Catherine’s favorite part of the day? Quiet mornings walking her dog in the woods — but don’t tell her family that.
Senior Counselor | Former Graduate Head of Admissions, Stanford University
Kelly brings a rare 360° view of higher education, with nearly 20 years of experience guiding students into the top 100 U.S. colleges and graduate programs. Her students include future artists, lawyers, designers, doctors, and entrepreneurs, each with a distinct story, brought to life through Kelly’s strategic, student-centered approach.
Kelly has served as Graduate Head of Admissions at Stanford, Admissions Officer and Enrollment Manager at California College of the Arts, Academic Advisor at the University of San Francisco, and a high school college counselor. She’s evaluated thousands of applications across majors and formats — including BFA, MFA, JD, MBA, and dual-degree programs — and has advised students from over 100 countries.
Kelly lived in Italy for over a decade and still teaches Italian for fun. A lifelong language lover, she’s studied everything from Farsi to French, and currently splits her time between the mainland and Hawai’i, where she’s teaching herself ukulele and the Hawaiian language while exploring the ocean and painting coastal landscapes.
Senior Counselor | Former Graduate Admissions, UPenn & Admissions + Enrollment, NYU
With almost two decades of experience in college admissions and advising, Julie has guided students through every stage of the application process, from early exploration to final decision-making. She has worked with students from diverse academic, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds and has supported successful outcomes at highly selective universities across the U.S. and internationally. Julie is known for helping students build thoughtful, strategic applications that reflect both academic strength and authentic personal narratives.
Beyond the admissions office, Julie has advised students through private counseling, international education organizations, and global admissions consultancies, supporting applicants to highly selective universities in the U.S. and abroad. In parallel, she brings experience from the finance and technology sectors, where she has led early-career programs, learning and development initiatives, and talent strategy at a publicly traded technology company. This broader perspective allows her to help students think not only about where to apply, but how their academic choices connect to long-term career and life outcomes.
Julie has traveled to over 55 countries and loves learning how education, culture, and opportunity intersect around the world.
College Counselor | Former Undergraduate and Transfer Admissions, Cornell University | Academic Advisor, Cornell University
Reid has over 20+ years of experience in higher education, including 15 years in college admissions. Reid has worked as an application reviewer and admissions counselor at various institutions including a small private art school, liberal arts college, and selective institutions like Cornell University. While at Cornell, Reid specialized in transfer student applicants, including working with students through the process of not receiving acceptances they had hoped for and assisting students to improve their application as they prepared for transfer.
As a counselor, Reid focused on helping students to understand why they were applying to Cornell and to focus on how their individual interests and desires could be met there, and using that to create a clear and strong narrative in their application to promote a positive outcome.
Currently Reid works full-time as an Academic Advisor at Cornell where he is continually sharpening his student-centered skills while helping them to navigate toward the outcomes they desire.
Reid has participated in more than 20 professional art shows including individual gallery shows.
Art Portfolio Reviewer | Graphic Designer & Illustrator | Comics Editor & Arts Grant Recipient
Jake is a practicing graphic designer, illustrator, and editor with a dual academic background in fine arts and digital design. With an Associate Degree in Graphic Design from Seattle Central Creative Academy and a BFA in Printmaking and Sculpture, he brings a hybrid perspective to art portfolio development. His work as Editor-in-Chief of Scarfff Comics Newspaper and his success as a freelance creative have earned him grants from both the Washington State Arts Commission and the City of Seattle.
Jake’s approach to portfolio review is all about alignment and authenticity. He helps students craft portfolios that not only showcase their strongest technical and conceptual pieces, but also communicate a unified artistic identity. Whether applying to fine arts, design, or media programs, students benefit from his insight into institutional expectations and his ability to shape raw talent into compelling, purpose-driven portfolios.
Jake’s artistic inspirations include manga legend Akira Toriyama, the creative mind behind Dragon Ball.
College Counselor | Former Admissions Officer, Duke University | Emory MBA Candidate
Fausto brings a strategic yet deeply personal approach to the admissions process — built on years of experience as an essay coach, test prep instructor, and admissions officer. His students have earned admission to top Ivy+ universities like Duke and UPenn, and leading STEM institutions like Georgia Tech and Carnegie Mellon.
Fausto began his career helping students strengthen their SAT/ACT skills and build standout essays. In 2020, he pivoted to public health, leading COVID-19 response operations, and later returned to undergraduate admissions as an Assistant Director at Duke University. There, he oversaw international outreach across Latin America and APAC. He’s now pursuing his MBA at Emory’s Goizueta Business School, further sharpening the analytical and communication skills he brings to every student partnership.
Fausto has ridden water buffaloes in northeast Brazil and once won a taco eating contest, a skill he insists will always be useful.
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